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Reviewers in the past have been known to be carted out of buildings gibbering at 3am and posted off to the local asylum trying to describe the Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster. Now on their second album, we here at "The Vault" were describing these Brighton noiseniks as spearheading a new wave of psychobilly a couple of years back.
'Cept it turns out that...erm, actually they kind of weren't. Their debut album, 2002's "Horse Of The Dog" proved that the Disaster were much more than a one-trick pony melding brain-melting guitars, scowling vocals and fantastically twisted musical soundscapes. Oh, and the ten tracks therein totalled 25 minutes. Respect.
"The Royal Society", it's fair to say, is pretty much more of the same old and every bit as insanely fantastic as you'd expect. Veering from the sheer adrenalin rush of current single "Rise Of The Eagles" through the horror-schlock stylings of "Puppy Dog Snails" to the, erm, flamenco guitars on "Drunk On The Blood", "The Royal Society" sees TEMBLD becoming no less than an even more gonzo British Queens of the Stone Age (perhaps unsurprisingly the Queens' producer Chris Goss is the man twiddling the knobs here).
Whatever - in an age where dullards like Kings of Leon are revered by the music press, we arguably need bands like this pissing in the lift at the "Hotel California" more than ever. Buy this album, sit back and headbang to your heart's content.
Rating: 8/10
Reviewed by Andy James
